Anxious about 2024?

Tell people you’re excited!

Dec 18, 2023

We all have a variety of feelings as one year draws to a close and another begins. The sage advice from Simon Sinek that I give to people when they are nervous before presentations applies just as much to the twelve months ahead of us as it does for a twelve-minute pitch: don’t be nervous, be excited.

Simon Sinek is an author and inspirational speaker on business leadership.

Research by Alison Wood Brooks at HBS, and cited by Adam Grant in Originals, shows that presenters were evaluated as 17 percent more persuasive and 15 percent more confident when they simply uttered these three words: “I am excited” instead of “I am calm” before they began.

And, as Sinek points out, our bodies don’t know the difference. Excitement and anxiety appear nearly identically in our bodies: racing heart, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, etc. If our bodies don’t know the difference, why should our audiences?

It’s as simple as a power pose, which you should do in private, but it is something you can actually share with your audience as you begin. Nobody is put off by a speaker who says they are excited to bring their ideas to you.

So, when people ask you over the next several weeks how you feel about 2024, tell them without hesitation that you’re excited for it.

I know I am. I’m excited to see what my third year of life as a “solopreneur” holds for me. I’m excited to work with my new executive assistant, who starts this week, replacing Elizabeth, my partner in crime for the past year, building this business. I’m excited to see what organizations bring me in to work with cohorts of leaders over several weeks or months to build their mastery in communication. I’m excited to see what keynote opportunities come my way. I’m excited to see what individuals seek me out for individual coaching on their speaking and writing.

JD’s Recommendations: what I’m reading, hearing, and seeing:

Reading: I’m delighted that my friend and colleague Matt Abrahams keeps me on his annual book list of great titles within and beyond the field of communication.
Hearing: I’m guiding you again to the podcast 20 Minutes with Bronwyn where she has a hilarious and insightful conversation with VC extraordinaire David Hornik on How to Make Storytelling Your Superpower.
Seeing: while finishing my grading for my USC students I took breaks by watching some acapella music and tripped across—Out of the Blue. Enjoy their Christmas Medley with my best wishes for the holidays, whatever you celebrate.

As always, jds

PS: On January 1 of this year, Communication Matters was only a dream, and a New Year’s resolution. With your partnership (and the help of Paul and Elizabeth) I’ve written 32 editions, amassing 1,222 subscribers and reaching tens of thousands of readers. Thank you for joining me on this journey of love. Let me know what I should keep, improve, start, or stop in 2024.